Category: Social Media

Google to resume accepting political ads but with strict policies

David Alonge
Google

Google resumes accepting political ads but with strict policies   Alphabet Inc’s Google will resume accepting political advertisements in the United States from Feb. 24, according to an email to advertisers seen by Reuters. Google paused such advertisements in January following the violence at US Capitol and in the run-up to the presidential inauguration. “We will continue to rigorously enforce our ads policies, which strictly prohibit demonstrably false information that could significantly undermine trust in elections or the democratic process,” a company spokeswoman said, confirming the move. Facebook Inc has paused political ads after…

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In retaliation, Facebook blocks Australians from sharing news

David Alonge
In retaliation, Facebook blocks Australians from sharing news

In retaliation, Facebook blocks Australians from sharing news     In a shocking act of retaliation Thursday, Facebook blocked Australians from sharing news, a milestone in the increasingly frantic jockeying between governments, media and powerful tech companies that one Australian minister called “an assault on a sovereign nation” and abuse of power. Australia’s government condemned the decision, which also prevented some government communications, including messages about emergency services, as well as some commercial pages. The digital platforms fear that what’s happening in Australia will become an expensive precedent that larger…

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Australian govt bent to make Google and Facebook pay for news

David Alonge
In retaliation, Facebook blocks Australians from sharing news

Australian govt to make Google and Facebook pay for news     Australia’s government said Google and Facebook Inc. are nearing agreements to pay domestic media companies for news, in a sign a regulatory standoff may be softening. Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg held talks with Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg and Google counterpart Sundar Pichai over the weekend. “We’re very close to some very significant commercial deals,” Frydenberg told the Australian Broadcasting on Monday, according to a transcript sent by his office. “We have made great progress.” Alphabet Inc-owned…

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Twitter mulls adding Bitcoin to its balance sheet

David Alonge
Twitter mulls adding Bitcoin

Twitter mulls adding Bitcoin to its balance sheet   The Twitter chief financial officer (CFO) said that the company is working out options if they can pay salaries to their employees in Bitcoin (BTC) along with allocating part of their treasury to BTC. Corporates are coming to Bitcoin and things could escalate further after Tesla‘s recent entry. On Wednesday, February 10, Twitter CFO said that the company is considering adding BTC to its balance sheet. During an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box, Twitter Inc CFO, Ned Segal talked about the…

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From 10th to 1st: How Telegram became the most downloaded App in the world

David Alonge
Sunu Assurances

From 10th to 1st: How Telegram became the most downloaded App in the world   Sensor Tower has released its download numbers for January 2021, with Telegram leading the pack as it was the most downloaded non-gaming app worldwide with more than 63 million installs. The latest download figure in the month which was about 4 times its downloads one year ago. India accounted for 24 per cent of Telegram downloads within the past month with more than 15 million installs. The second-highest number of Telegram downloads came from Indonesia…

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Zoom Video raises $1.75bn in new stock offering

Business Metrics
Zoom Video

Zoom Video raises $1.75bn in new stock offering   Zoom Video Communications Inc. is raising $1.75 billion through a stock offering, capitalising on enduring demand for the video-conferencing platform during the pandemic. Zoom is selling about 5.15 million shares at $340 apiece, representing a 4.7 per cent discount to its last close, according to a statement on Tuesday. The offering is expected to close on or about January 15. It has given its underwriter a 30-day option to buy as much as an additional 735 294 shares of its Class…

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Trump without Twitter: Will he move to the ‘Trumpnet’?

Business Metrics
Trump Without Twitter

Trump without Twitter: Will he move to the ‘Trumpnet’?   By Brian Contreras Parler. Gab. Rumble. MeWe. DLive. Over the last four years, a small constellation of newish social media sites and web platforms has found favor with those on the political right who see the heavy hand of censorship in Facebook’s and Twitter’s tightening policies against hate speech and violent rhetoric. Now, with President Trump “permanently suspended” from Twitter and indefinitely locked out of Facebook in the final days of his presidency, this fringe ecosystem — call it the Trumpnet — may be poised to…

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Twitter, Facebook block Trump over Capitol attack posts

Business Metrics
Facebook block Trump Twitter block Trump

Twitter, Facebook block Trump over Capitol attack posts   Twitter and Facebook suspended Donald Trump on Wednesday over posts accused of inflaming violence in the US Capitol, as social media scrambled to respond to mayhem by supporters buying into his baseless attacks on the integrity of the election. The unprecedented sanctions came after the president took to social media to repeat his numerous false claims about fraud and other impropriety in the election he lost to Joe Biden. “This is an emergency situation and we are taking appropriate emergency measures,…

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Google 2020 Year in Search: Coronovirus, Davido’s Fem, Simi’s Duduke top quries in Nigeria

Banjo Olaniran

Google today announced the results of Google 2020 Year in Search, sharing what the world, and Nigerians, searched for, asked about, listened to and watched in 2020. Google’s 2020 Year in Search compiles the moments, people, topics, events, and places that captured the world’s attention this year. Just as Search helps people to explore and discover a world of information, there are many ways to explore the year through the lens of Google Search. From overall global stories to hundreds of top 10 lists of trending topics across pop culture…

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Pathways for Cryptocurrency as Facebook set to release Libra

David Alonge

Facebook plans to release its digital currency, Libra, in January, 2021 to offer a cross-platform payment system. Libra, which is still awaiting approval from FINMA (the Swiss-based Financial Market Supervisory Authority), seems to be more of a PayPal-type payment system that would be more volatile and accepted across multiple platforms for payment. The cryptocurrency would commence only in the United States and in some Latin American countries for a start, source says. It’s value will be backed by the US dollar, in the form of stablecoin. “A stablecoin is a…

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